Dear John

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks


Reading Level: 5.5
AR Points: 13


John, an aimless young man, decides to join the Army after high school.  While home on leave, he meets the girl of his dreams -- Savannah, a college student spending the summer building a house for the homeless.  They fall in love, but when John re-enlists after 9-11, Savannah marries someone else. 


Here's a good summer read... You can easily breeze through a Nicholas Sparks book in a day. The cover doesn't fit the book, since Savannah is a brunette, and John has some major tatoos on his arms, so don't watch the movie and expect it to be identical. 


I liked this book.  Sparks' books follow a basic formula -- someone has to die, someone "becomes a better person", someone is always nicer than real life.  This story also throws in autism and Asperger's syndrome. 


I thought Savannah was immature. We all do stupid things, but to marry a guy just because he's there & the love of her life is in the Army is pretty shallow.  Talk about messing with a guy... I can't see how that's a good example of how to be a wonderful person.  However, the fact that I even thought about it means it's an effective story. 
Rating: ***** 5 Stars